WhatsApp Drops Support for These iPhone Models - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

WhatsApp Drops Support for These iPhone Models

WhatsApp has ended support for iOS versions older than iOS 15.1, removing the chat platform's compatibility with several iPhone models in the process. The change began on June 1, after Meta delayed it from an original planned date of May 5.

Whatsapp Feature
WhatsApp is no longer compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus models. Users with those devices won't be able to access the encrypted chat service through the app unless they upgrade their iPhone. Alternatively, users can visit web.whatsapp.com in their browser, but the experience won't be the same.

Users who intend to upgrade can back up their WhatsApp chats to iCloud, and restore their full chat and media history to a newer, supported device using using WhatsApp's Chat Transfer feature. Instructions on how to do so are outlined in WhatsApp's Help Center.

In related developments, WhatsApp is now available on the iPad, coming more than 15 years after the messaging service launched. An Instagram app for the iPad is also in the works.

Popular Stories

Whatsapp Feature

These Older iPhones Will Need an Update to Keep Running WhatsApp

Thursday June 11, 2026 3:36 am PDT by
Some older iPhone models will need a software update to keep running WhatsApp from the end of November 2026, after Meta confirmed it is raising the app's minimum system requirements. From November 30, WhatsApp will require iOS 15.5 or later, up from the current requirement of iOS 15.1. The models affected are the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 7, and iPhone...
Whatsapp Feature

WhatsApp Working on View-Once Text Messages for iPhone

Wednesday June 17, 2026 1:48 am PDT by
WhatsApp is working on a way to let users send text messages that can only be viewed once, similar to the feature already available for photos, videos, and voice notes. According to WABetaInfo, after typing a message in the chat bar, users will be able to select a new "Send as view once" option by long-pressing the Send button. When the message is sent, the recipient will be able to open the ...
Whatsapp Feature

WhatsApp Now Lets You Reserve a Username

Monday June 29, 2026 4:01 pm PDT by
Popular messaging app WhatsApp is now allowing users to reserve usernames ahead of plans to launch username-based messaging. Right now, WhatsApp uses a person's phone number as an identifier, but usernames will allow people to interact without having to exchange personal information. Username reservations are rolling out starting this week, and not all users will have access to the...

Top Rated Comments

Reverend Benny Avatar
14 months ago

Is there anyone using iPhone 5s? 6? 6S :oops:💀
I'd say there are a few around. Still decent phones aside that Apple has dropped support and don't update them anymore.
The new EU Ecodesign Regulation is a step in the right directon towards pushing manufacturers to support devices longer. Wouldn't have helped in this case tho.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kaa0s Avatar
14 months ago

Is there anyone using iPhone 5s? 6? 6S :oops:💀
Me, 6S just for Apple Carplay. :)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
14 months ago
Using a dedicated phone for Facebook marketplace, was using an iPhone 6 for a while until some of the features stopped working, was forced to upgrade to a seven which gave a bump to iOS 15 and for now am receiving app updates.

In reality it’s not necessarily Apple forcing us to buy new devices but the app developers dropping support for older iOS versions even though they still can release them as some of the developers do.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cicalinarrot Avatar
14 months ago

Software & security advancements render older tech obsolete. You had your mileage out of the 6s so I don't know what you're complaining about.

Buying a 3rd Gen SE wasn't a very wise choice as it was already a few years old when you got it a few months ago.
The SE was just like the 6S my father had and very cheap, virtually unbeatable in terms of price per year of life.

Apple renders older tech obsolete. I use very old PCs and they work perfectly. The way I use them hasn't changed in more than a decade, no reason to get new ones for most use cases.
I had my mileage? Again, most annoying thing I couldn't fix was the storage, something Apple has historically kept low and pricey to make phones older earlier. Plus how bad media backup via USB works, I could talk about their evil methods all day long.

You are just accepting the lifespan Apple chose for you as a universal truth, which is exactly what they wanted. Phones could last longer, Apple just doesn't want them to. A phone with its battery glued inside with no possibility for most users to safely replace it was something almost unthinkable before the iPhone. They could make a Mac-like time machine to store media directly to a drive via USB, that'd make a whole lot of sense.

And, of course, using a 9 year old iPhone is an exception.

IMHO, once the company drops official support for a product, they should be legally required to unlock it 100%. Otherwise, they are just entitled to choose how much I can use the thing I bought. That's not how buying things works, that's a sick form of rent.
I decide when the phone is too old to work properly for me like I do with all other things I own. Hey, if they're right, they have nothing to lose.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cicalinarrot Avatar
14 months ago
My dad was using a 6S until a few months ago.

He's 70, it still worked great for him, I got him a 3rd gen SE because I had to change the battery again and the storage was getting too thin. So... even what was starting to give problems was part of Apple's planned obsolescence agenda.

I mean, ten years seems like a lot but a fridge that costs $1000 can last 30 years, why shouldn't a phone?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
attohs Avatar
14 months ago

I mean, ten years seems like a lot but a fridge that costs $1000 can last 30 years, why shouldn't a phone?
What $1000 fridge today is lasting 30 years?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors